The Covalos Connection
by Innovaegis
Summary: Young trainer Aaron sets out across the sea to begin his journey in the region of Covalos. But, life's plans for him are far from cut-and-dry as he faces daunting challenges in a new part of the region, uncovers secrets of the recent and ancient past, and seeks the truth shrouded in the rubble of a collapsing Team Rocket. Majority of characters are OCs. Reviews highly appreciated.
1. Prologue: Shifting Gears

_Musical Inspiration: Pokemon X and Y- Battle! Lysandre Rock Cover by Haawke_

"Sir Valadin. The operation is finally complete," Darren said as he arrived in the head office on the top floor of the embassy.

Valadin kept his position, pondering out the window onto the land's vastness, arms behind his back. He held a solemn glare in his eyes that towered over even the highest of mountains in the distance.

"Certainly you can't ever call _that_ operation complete," replied Darren's boss.

"It's as close as we can get for now. We've extracted as many powerful Pokemon as we could find through the online storage system," Darren cleared his throat. "Though we never expected the process to take as long as it did."

A silence then reigned throughout the room and Darren looked away from Valadin's back. It gave him time to notice the soft ticking of the black rimmed clock hanging on the far wall of the office.

Without making a sound, Valadin's Liepard slunk stealthily out from behind the mahogany desk in the middle of the room. The Liepard's purple catlike fur was settled in place on its streamline body, but it shot Darren a look as if he was a threat. The Pokemon's sharp green eyes made him feel uneasy. Liepard curled up in front of the desk with its "S" shaped tail in the air still standing, as if it was listening in. Valadin spoke.

"You've failed to find any Pokemon in the system of legendary status."

Darren silently exhaled. There was no hiding anything from his boss.

"That would be correct, sir."

Valadin grunted. "To be expected. No one would keep a treasure like that hidden in a box anyway."

Darren stood attentive. His boss understood.

"Have you found anything more on looking for the legends ourselves?" Valadin asked dryly.

"Unfortunately not, sir. And we're unprepared as a team to go seeking them out in the first place."

"'Unprepared'…!" Valadin gave a short, quick laugh. Darren gulped. This wasn't the Valadin he knew. The Valadin he knew was collected and saw everything coming. But as he turned, Darren saw a rage that filled those furious blue eyes of Valadin's that beamed out at him now. Darren looked away as much as he could, as if looking into them for too long could bore a hole through his head.

Suddenly, Valadin flared up as he slammed his fist into the wood of the desk, causing the sound to reverberate throughout the room like an earthquake.

"Unprepared… Just like that _idiot_ Giovanni…" Valadin growled through clenched teeth.

Darren stood back as if the boss could blast the building to smithereens on anger alone. Valadin tried to take a breath, but the steam of his mind let off first through his teeth. "I was recently informed by the head of Team Rocket in the Kanto region that… this organization…the _entire_ organization…"

The first bead of sweat had formed on Darren's head. Now, he felt unprepared for what his boss was about to say.

"Has been officially disbanded."

Darren looked upon the now heavily sullen Valadin. A man he held the highest respect for. A man who saw the dog-eat-dog world for what it was. A man who would do anything to take what he wanted. And now, a man brought to shame by the mere words of _his_ boss: a man who simply wanted things more.

The ticking clock seemed to stop. A moment of silence.

"But yet, Darren, here we are."

The clock resumed ticking away, as if without a care in the world. And yet, that time was wasting, very precious time, of what little it seemed they now had left. Valadin's Liepard made a quick move and was on the desk in a quiet touchdown.

Valadin seemed to cool himself as he stroked the Liepard's fur. It laid itself in the small crater Valadin's fist had made in the desk.

"I am now personally ashamed to be standing here under the "R" of Team Rocket today. Our leader has gone to such far lengths to keep the empire alive and falling so quickly under unknown circumstances is unheard of. Giovanni seems to have plans to fell his own endeavors quietly and to leave as little trace as possible. However…" Valadin turned back to the window.

"I have no such plans."

It wasn't hard to hear in Valadin's voice that he was re-assuring himself as much as he was his right-hand man.

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking," Darren paused and then continued. "You mentioned that he wants to leave without a trace…why?" He quickly scolded himself. It sounded like such a stupid question now.

"In all other cases, your question is very inappropriate, Darren, and you would be just as much an idiot as Giovanni for asking it," Valadin turned to look down at his Liepard, which was cleaning its claws. "But if I did that now, I'd be calling myself an idiot as well."

Valadin took a deep breath.

"However, if the rumors are true, the great opposition of Team Rocket might just be a young boy by the name of 'Red'," Valadin added with contempt. "Although I say 'young', he clearly possesses skills far beyond his age to defeat Giovanni in the art of Pokemon battling multiple times. It's really quite the feat in and of itself, let alone him also bringing Giovanni and the organization to its knees."

He looked out the window once again, his figure silhouetted against the blazing orange sun in the distance.

"And do we know where Red is now? If he plans to take down the rest of our operations?" Darren asked.

"The boy wonder has apparently gone on to face the greats of the Kanto region. He doesn't seem to know of Team Rocket's international connections, so we are safe from his decisions. The sad excuse for a boss we have, however, may take more action in ridding us of our progress, judging by his little change of heart." Valadin replied. He paused, then spoke again.

"We may be alone and have the rest of the crumbling company after us, but we still have time left to disband without losing copious amounts of ground and revenue. After all, the black market was never meant to be a place for hanging around."

"Right, sir." Darren replied obediently.

"…So the storage boxes have been filed, all physical storage areas for the Pokemon secured…?" Valadin asked subtly, turning his head slightly and eying Darren out of his peripheral vision.

"Yes, Sir." Darren replied proudly.

"Good," Answered a more satisfied Valadin. "And just one more order of business for the day."

Valadin turned around and pulled out a manila envelope with text and data-filled papers trying to escape. He set it on the desk beside his Liepard, which might have jumped if such a full envelope were dropped, but which instead gave Valadin a small nod and went back to dozing with how softly he set it on the table.

"Darren, I want you to look into this. You know how powerful my word is, don't you? I told you I had no plans for _my_ branch of team Rocket to go without a trace." Valadin said as he looked up at Darren. The smirk on his face, however, would've made a Sableye cringe.

Avoiding Valadin's gaze once more, Darren looked down at the manila envelope, on which the outside was painted an "R". Except, the "R" on the envelope didn't match the same format of the harsh lines and bright red that characterized the letter on the workers', Team Rocket's, shirts and jackets. It was a smoother, rounder "R", and the biggest distinguisher was that it was a midnight blue.

"I am very truthful about having no such plans to slip into nonexistence. But to keep my integrity…" Valadin looked proudly upon the folder. "These are my plans."


	2. Adventure Awakens

_Musical Inspiration: Back to Your Littleroots (Littleroot Town) by insaneintherainmusic_

"Aaron, are you up yet?" Aaron's mom called from the bottom of the stairs.

A door around the corner up the stairs creaked open as footsteps were heard coming out. Aaron's mom expected a tired, suddenly awakened Aaron to appear, but what she got put a look of surprise on her face. Aaron appeared at the top of the steps fully dressed in clean clothes, new shoes and socks, and even with his backpack and hat on too.

"Yeah, mom, I've been awake since 5 o'clock this morning." Aaron said coolly.

"Well, you'd better have some breakfast before you set off, Mr. Awake-since-5! No use starting off today on an empty stomach." His mom said with a small smile.

"Who said I would?" Aaron said, coming down the stairs. "I was just making sure I had everything."

"For the 3rd time?" His mom said raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you know me." Aaron said with a guilty smile. He walked from the table to the kitchen, which wasn't much distance considering their town house. His mom crossed him and came to the bottom of the stairs again.

"Honey, the pancakes are almost ready!" She called up to Aaron's dad.

Aaron's dad appeared less promptly than Aaron did, but nonetheless prepared in fresh clothes. He came down the stairs slower than his son. He walked into the kitchen and put his hand on his son's shoulder, which was almost as high as his own.

"Ready for today, Aaron?" his dad asked with a firm yet encouraging tone.

"Come on, Dad, you know how long I've been waiting for this day," said Aaron.

"Just making sure," said his dad with a positive look. "I hope you slept well."

"As much as I could manage. Sleep's tough to come by on a day like this!" said Aaron, only somewhat containing his excitement.

His mom moved back into the kitchen to tend to the pancakes, which she then took off of the skillet and stacked on a plate.

"Well, I think Aaron should be the first to take his pancakes. Wouldn't want you getting hungry before you get on the ship," said his mother.

"They've got meals on the ship, I'll be just fine, Mom,"

"Are you sure? I can't have my growing boy starting out his journey so far away from home hungry. And besides," said his loving mother. "Who knows when you'll be able to come home for pancakes again?"

Aaron felt his cheeks go red. "Well, when you put it that way, I'll take four."

Aaron took his plate and stacked up his pancakes, which he piled high with maple syrup. His parents took theirs and moved to the table with Aaron.

"Gosh," said his dad, observing all the syrup on Aaron's pancakes. "I don't know how those Almians got their blood into you."

"Oh, come on, Dad, it's my last day here for a while, I might as well load up on it," Aaron retorted.

They each dug into their breakfasts. Having one of his favorite meals was a perfect way to start out a journey, though he hoped that he wouldn't find himself prone to seasickness. Boat rides out on the water were nothing compared to a cross-country voyage.

The plan was for Aaron to leave on a journey across the region, to explore the land and see the sights alongside his companion: a Pokemon he would receive from a well-known professor in Voleoss City. This required the crossing of the Sea of Espran on a two-day boat trip.

Aaron walked briskly over to the sink and rinsed his plate with a squeak and a shine as if it were clean again. He went up the stairs, skipping every other step, to his room to prepare his bag one last time. His father came up shortly after finishing his own breakfast and came into Aaron's room. He looked over at his son with a look of satisfaction.

"Have you got everything you need?" his father asked.

"I think so." Aaron said, looking over his bag once more. The substantial backpack seemed to be carrying the weight of the world, but he zipped up the final zipper in the largest compartment and slung it over his shoulder.

"Not too heavy for you?" his father asked.

Aaron looked at the bag hesitantly. "I think I'll get used to it."

He made his last stop at the bathroom to give his teeth a thorough brushing. The mirror shone back to him a boy ready for adventure. Not like those naïve ten-year-old boys who refused extra schooling, but a growing teen with more crucial knowledge and with a desire to face the world, now prepared and ready.

But, he observed, his muscles weren't the biggest, his brown hair wasn't the most styled, and the beginnings of acne on his left cheek were a bit frustrating to maintain. A question echoed within his heart- _Am I really ready for this?_ But he put it out of mind by heading downstairs one final time.

"Did you pack your toothbrush?" His mother asked.

"Yes, Mom." Aaron replied.

"And your extra clothes?"

"Yep."

"What about a towel and washcloth?"

"Uh-huh."

"And sunscreen?"

"All in there…"

"Extra underwear?"

Aaron could've sworn at this point that his mother had more questions to ask than he had things in his bag. "Yes, Mom." He said monotonously.

"I'm just making sure you're not missing anything." She said, with a motherly shine in her eyes. Just then, his father came down.

"Well, Aaron," he said with pride. "Are you all set and ready?"

Aaron gave one last look over his shoulder at his bag hanging on his back, feeling its weight that felt just right for what could be a lifetime of a journey. "Ready."

"I'll walk you down to the pier, but Mom'll have to say goodbye here,"

Aaron's mom held back her tears. She walked over to her son and held him tight for a while, with Aaron holding his mother in return. He rested his head on her shoulder, finally coming to terms with just how long he would be gone, for possibly years, and suddenly felt sorry for his parents.

"I'll come back to visit…" Aaron said. "Maybe I'll befriend a flying Pokemon and then I can come back regularly."

His mom gave a hopeful sigh and looked into her son's blue eyes, which he shared with her, ran her fingers through his brown hair, and said, "Whether you find a flying Pokemon to befriend or not, never forget how much I love you. We'll always be waiting for you here if you find yourself wanting to come back."

"Thanks, Mom," he said. Aaron looked back at his dad, who was waiting by the front door. He walked over to his dad, who opened the door to their house and to a brand new world _._


	3. Town of Borders

_Musical Inspiration: HGSS Vermilion City (Reorchestrated) by HappyDragonite_

Aaron stepped out of the door and took in the fresh smell of flowers and air with a beautiful scene of greenery and life before him. The just-risen sun made the dew on the grass glisten. He trotted down the few steps of the house and stopped, looking around. Suddenly, a sharp screech, "AAAaaaal!" was heard from above, as a bird almost four feet tall swooped down right beside Aaron. To a stranger, the sight might've been a scare, but to Aaron, the family pet needed a good-bye hug just as much as Mom and Dad did.

"Hey, Tee," he said affectionately to the bird, referred to by others as a Talonflame. "I'm going to miss you, buddy," he said to it as he gave it a hug around its fire-decaled wings. Tee gave an affectionate coo back and ruffled its feathers, throwing off tiny sparks behind.

Aaron gave his best flying friend one last look and said "Maybe I'll even bring you back a friend when I get back." Tee gave him a satisfied little screech in return.

Aaron's dad came over and scratched Tee softly behind the head and Tee cooed once more. The Pokemon was his, but the name was Aaron's since when the boy and bird met for the first time when they were both young. "Hold down the house while we're both gone, okay?" Aaron's dad said to it.

"We'll be going then," he said to Aaron's mom, who had come to stand in the doorway of the house to see them off.

"Take care, Aaron," she called out to him. "I love you!"

"I love you too, Mom!" Aaron called back, as he and his dad made their way through the small neighborhood to the pier.

They walked in silence for a bit of the way, both taking in their surroundings filled with foliage and other bird-Pokemon calls.

"Are you feeling nervous at all?" his father asked after a while.

"Not really," replied Aaron. "Well, maybe a little, but I think it's more anticipation than nerves."

"I can imagine," said his dad.

"Have you ever gone on a journey like this before, Dad?" Aaron asked, curious.

"No, actually, becoming a trainer wasn't as much to me. I saw it as too much of a risk. And plus, I was already planning to become an engineer." His dad paused. "But your decision to journey out is still a good one."

As the two walked, Aaron became quiet once more.

His dad continued. "A journey is a great way to find yourself, a way to find out who you are. It's like diving into what the world has for you head-first, and it's a very daring adventure. But what would I know!" his dad said gladly. "That's for you to discover for yourself!"

The two walked on in silence for the rest of the journey to the pier, with the occasional twittering of a few Tailows in the trees along the path. That morning was just too beautiful not to stay quiet to simply soak it all in.

The shaded path led to a pier that formed the borders of the small town of Posius. The water beyond the pier sparkled with a glistening sense of hope set against the morning sun peering over the horizon. Although it was still somewhat early in the morning, small crowds of people could be seen bustling about as each went about their morning routine. They carried with them the soothing scents of water-flowers which girls of the town often wore and sometimes even the smell of last night's dinner of fire-cooked sea varieties.

Although this was hardly the first time Aaron had been to the town, it felt anew and alive this particular morning.

"The ship's just a few blocks down," his dad pointed out, and so the two proceeded in its direction.

"Majikarps! Get your Majikarps here! Fresh from the catch!" Aaron heard a vendor call out as he walked nearer.

"Don't listen too much to him," his dad remarked.

"I know, Dad, you've said it before," acknowledged Aaron. His dad still gave the vendor across the way a look.

"I know, son," he said. "But I mean it even more-so now that you're becoming a trainer yourself. You've got to be on the lookout for sketchy deals, especially with your partner Pokemon. A man who aims for quantity over quality with his companions isn't someone you can be sure about."

However well intentioned his father's words of wisdom were, Aaron seemed to miss them as he became captivated by the word "trainer".

It was all really happening, wasn't it? Aaron felt like pinching himself at the word now, as if it were too far away in a dream to believe-and yet here he was, on a journey to become just that, a Pokemon trainer.

He knew too well that this journey wasn't just about venturing the land of Covalos-No! There was a greater goal to reach. And to put it in the words of the slogan of the Pokemon League HQ, it was "To Be the Very Best!"

"Did you say something?" asked his father.

"Oh, uh, no…" Aaron stuttered awkwardly, realizing that he must've vocalized some of his own thoughts.

This journey was about rising to the top, the top of the winning ladder of other trainers all competing to be the best in the region, and eventually, in the entire Pokemon world. That meant battles between trainers were of the utmost importance, and having strong Pokemon of one's own to defeat others' meant winning those battles. All the school Aaron had taken before his journey was meant to prepare him for living in the world, but when it came down to winning matches, it would be his turn to learn from the world. Of course, as his dad reminded him, the world often gives hard lessons.

The growing numbers of people on the pier all seemed preoccupied with their own errands, and Aaron was no different. He took the lead ahead of his father and continued on his way to the far west side of the pier.

"Hey, Aaron!" a familiar voice came from Aaron's left.

"Sam!" Aaron called back, walking up to his best friend from school. "How've you been? You're really out this early?"

"Look, that was English class, this is different," Sam said, giving a guilty smile. "Thank goodness I don't have to do that anymore."

"Well, you know that some of the greatest writers failed English in school," said Aaron.

"If I have to write one more poem about anything, I swear…" expressed Sam in a huff. "But hey, I finished another shed just last weekend."

"Another one? Geez, man, we'll have too many of those around here if you keep doing that," Aaron said, though a quiet jealousy held in his comment of Sam's talent.

Sam was a well-built kind of guy with strong muscles and a clear farmer's tan on his arms. Aaron knew Sam was certainly going places in life with his work in building and construction, especially with how proud Sam was in his work. It wasn't all work for Sam, however, even if he highly enjoyed working with his hands in the town. Sam had a good heart which held their friendship tight.

"Well, it's not all sheds. I'm working with some others on building a house down by the western end," Sam said. He puffed out his chest a little, but his modest smile revealed his enjoyment to help another.

"That's awesome. You thinking you'll keep going with this as a career?" Asked Aaron.

"Couldn't see myself doing anything else," Said Sam. He paused. "But what, you're going off to be a famous trainer? That's something else."

"Me?" Aaron gave a small laugh. "Nah… well, maybe someday? I don't know."

"I think a lot of people go on journeys like this to find what they wanna do. I guess that means you're right where you're supposed to be," Sam said, gave him a reassuring nudge with his elbow.

"I guess I'll just have to find out," Aaron said. "Sorry, Sam, but I've gotta go. The boat's waiting."

"Hey, man, you'll do some great stuff someday. Feel free to drop by anytime. Heck, maybe we'll even battle someday too-after you've become the champion!" Sam gave a friendly laugh, but his voice cracked mid-laugh.

"…You going to grow up a bit yourself too?" Aaron said snidely but with a friendly look.

"Let's hope so," Sam said.

Sam extended his hand and Aaron received it. Sam shook firmly as Aaron countered, toughening his grip. It was like a small reminder of who was probably more suited for the journey in the first place. Nevertheless, Aaron waved goodbye to his friend and made his way once again through the crowd.

A few blocks down, Aaron could see clusters of people forming under a shaded area by the dock and knew it was where he was supposed to go. But before he headed off, he turned around to find his dad catching up.

"Sorry, Dean called me over and we got to talking."

Aaron could only smile, a proud grin forming on his face, at how much he was like his dad.

"I think the ship's leaving soon." Aaron said, taking a step in the direction of the forming crowds.

"We've probably got some time before it actually sets off." Said his dad.

"I know, but I'd just rather be over with the other people just to make sure I don't miss it." Said Aaron, still looking over at the clusters of people.

"Well, you lead the way." His dad said.

Aaron focused ahead once more and moved through the busy people towards the crowd. He began to wonder, however, what he'd do once he got over to the crowds. Would it really be much longer before the boat departed? It was hard to pick out faces in the crowd of people, let alone any he might recognize. Besides Sam, really, there were few others he was well acquainted with from school. Aaron never really thought of himself to be a less than social guy, but a more quiet nature was something he felt as more a crux during events like these.

As Aaron arrived under a corner of the large overhang by the dock, people came into view. A mother and her young children who were bouncing around anxiously awaiting the boat; Two guys a few years older than Aaron himself jokingly shoving each other and laughing; a few scattered men with luggage and cases who had probably come over for business meetings. Aaron stood looking at all the sites, wondering what kind of families each had that they may be heading oversees for. In his thinking, he turned back to see his dad, right behind him. In a moment Aaron realized that here he was feet away, but in two days, he would be hundreds of miles away from any family. Suddenly, quietly, he realized how much he would miss his dad.

"Is that Brian over there?" His dad asked, looking through the crowd.

"I think it is," Aaron said with some hesitation after spotting Brian himself. If his mother were here, she might have suggested to Aaron to go over and talk to him, but his dad noticed the hesitation. "We weren't very good friends."

 _Huuuuurgh!_ A deep booming, almost musical note from what could be compared to an organ came from the western side of the shaded area. Aaron almost felt like covering his ears from it, but the sound was invigorating, and no doubt came from the boat itself. However, through all the people, it was nowhere to be seen! The only thing that was visible was the rushing blur of scrambling people in the crowds to be the first to board the boat ( _But there's enough room for all of us, right?_ Aaron thought)

Soon enough, the crowd stopped up before the entrance to the ramp leading to the boat as the shipmates began checking passes. But time passed quickly and the crowd soon dwindled. Aaron stepped forward to get near the end the line.

"Hey, before you go..." his dad trailed off as he slung the backpack he had been wearing off his back. Somehow, Aaron hadn't noticed it. "Mom and I got you something."

He pulled out a small box. It was wrapped in dark blue wrapping with a small silver bow atop it for decoration. His dad also handed him a small envelope to go with the package. Aaron could have held the box in one hand, but he took it in two along with the envelope.

"Thanks, dad," Aaron said gratefully. He observed the line again. "Should I... open it now?"

"You can wait until you're on the boat, but you won't be able to use it until you reach Voleoss," his dad replied.

Aaron looked down at the box and then up at his dad and grinned. "There's a Pokemon inside of here, isn't there."

Aaron thought he had figured the gift out already, but the look on his dad's face didn't change. "You won't know until you open it," he said.

"Last call for boarding on the S. S. Marie!" The boarding shipmate called as a few scattered people formed the diminished line to the scaffolding leading to the boat.

"Come back soon, okay?" Aaron's dad smiled and hugged his boy one last time. "Have a great time. Mom and I both love you."

"I will. I love you both too," Aaron returned.

Aaron carefully placed the present into his bag and walked over to the line in front of the shipmate. When it got to be his turn to check in, he reached into his bag and pulled out the ticket. The shipmate looked at it for only a second, checked it off, and handed it back to Aaron, which he returned to his backpack.

"Welcome aboard, sir." The man stood aside.

For the first time, it felt like Aaron was finally doing it. Doing something on his own. Finally growing up.

And yet he stole one last look over his shoulder at his dad, who stood at a distance with arms crossed and a proud, approving look on his face.

Aaron faced forward with hope in his heart and advanced up the scaffolding.


	4. An Unexpected Shipmate

_Muscial Inspiration: Up Soundtrack-Married Life by Michael Giacchino_

The first view of the boat was more staggering than Aaron had expected. It may not have been a cruise ship, but it was large enough to fill up a significant part of the dock. The deep blue rim of the rails shone against the rising sun and a bright white was painted up to meet them that stretched, though in a more dull hue, to the bottom of the boat. On a closer look, Aaron noticed multiple stories to the boat, all lined with the bold blue borders.

Aaron reached the top of the scaffolding and boarded the boat. After a few more following him stepped on, a loud _clanking_ was heard as the scaffolding was disconnected. What seemed like moments later, the ship gave another deep booming sound from the horn as the boat slowly made its way out of the harbor.

He leaned on the railing. The view of the harbor from a distance would've been natural on any other day, but today it more beautiful than ever. A home that would be worth returning to someday. Aaron took a deep breath of the refreshing ocean air and was filled with anticipation.

Collecting himself, he pondered what to do next. He decided to pull out his ticket from his backpack.

 _Welcome aboard the S. S. Marie!_ The ticket read. _Please enjoy your stay in room 303_.

Well, it was settled. Checking in would be the first order of business. As Aaron made his way to the steps leading to the upper rooms, he felt his head run into someone.

"Hey, watch it!" a voice said. Aaron staggered back, realizing he had been staring at the ticket for too long. Looking up, he saw that he had bumped into one of the guys he had seen pushing one another on the dock. "What, haven't got your sea legs yet?" the guy said jokingly, and continued down the hall to the stairs.

It was meant innocently, but Aaron was disgruntled. _Haven't got my sea legs?!_ Of course he had been out on the ocean with his dad enough times on smaller boats to have no trouble handling the slower rockings of the larger ship. He swore he would've made a comeback at the guy, but held himself back, figuring the guy would probably have a better one anyway. He looked about twenty, but it was hard to tell while Aaron was looking to the floor to hide all the red in his face.

Getting himself together, Aaron moved on down the hallway at a distance from the crowd of other people also going to their rooms. The corridors were also somewhat thin, so he had another excuse to stay back. The sunlight from outside spilled into the hallway from its entrance, but the soft glow of the yellow hall-lights gave off a cozy feeling. After a distance of walking and up a couple flights of stairs, he arrived at his compartment. Aaron slid his ticket into the lock and the door clicked open.

The room itself seemed small and somewhat underwhelming, but Aaron felt much like children do when they enter a hotel room for the first time as a rush of wonder washed over him. He plopped his things down by a small table in the tiny kitchen area and collapsed on the bed. A satisfied sigh came through his lips as he lay there for a while.

Suddenly, a speaker came on in the hallway startling Aaron from his stupor. The friendly voice of the speaker came on.

"This is your captain, George Tiller, speaking, and the crew and I would like to welcome everyone aboard the S. S. Marie. Our journey will consist of a stop due East at the Thumb of Covalos, a great place for all you hikers, and will end in Voleoss City. We've got clear skies and calm waters ahead of us, so the trip will be running us about a day and a quarter, so sit back and enjoy the ride. Amenities include our outdoor lounge area, workout rooms, and our newly renovated open-air battle arena. Lunch will be served from eleven am to one pm. We hope your enjoy your time."

The announcement ended and Aaron's heart calmed as he closed his eyes once again. He thought with half consciousness about what to do next. But suddenly-he remembered.

Aaron sat up from his bed and moved over to his bag. He unzipped the main compartment and removed the dark blue box with the silver ribbon, holding it like a precious gem. Taking it over to the bed to sit, he unwrapped it slowly to preserve the precise work of what was clearly his mother's. After unwrapping the box, a small letter was uncovered. Aaron opened it, once again noting his mother's cursive.

" _Maybe you've already guessed what's inside of this box."_ Aaron chuckled. His parents knew him well.

 _"But that being so, the real surprise may come when you discover what_ kind _of something you'll find. After all, we couldn't have left the professor's job all to himself. We are so proud of you for having the courage to go on this journey and we wish you the best of luck!_

 _Love, Mom and Dad"_

Aaron read over the note a few times, the echoes of his mother's voice reverberating inside his head a soft assurance. But he set the note aside after a minute or so, knowing the real gift was inside. He opened the box.

Resting inside was a familiar red and white sphere-a Pokeball-the icon seen around the world. Its picture had to be the most common logo, connecting to any and all things relating to the fantastic creatures that are Pokemon. Markets, competition halls, healing centers, gyms, even entire businesses had the image tagged onto their name. And yet, for such a commonly seen figure, it was an entirely different feeling to behold the real thing.

Aaron held the ball in his hands, its size reminding him of a baseball. He moved his fingers over the perfectly smooth surface of the ball. The sunlight shining in from the small window in his room bounced off the clear coating of the ball. The red top half of the ball shone against the pure white of the bottom half. And yet, despite its stunning design to Aaron, it was still a machine, he realized. It seemed like a simple one with only one visible white button the front, but his father had explained to him otherwise. The technology used to store such remarkable creatures into a light energy that could be contained within such a proportionally small device was astounding, particularly to his engineer father. But Aaron knew the real wonder was yet to come.

He hadn't seen an instruction booklet when he pulled out the ball, but he reasoned enough that the button on the front would release the Pokemon inside. With anticipation at its peak, Aaron pressed the button lightly and…

…nothing. _…Nothing?!_ _But there's only one button to press!_ Aaron turned it around, confused. What else was there to do? He kept turning it, searching for something on it he might've missed, but discovered nothing more. He rummaged through the box and found the instructions at the bottom, but on seeing them for the first time, he threw them aside. _There's no way this can be that complicated!_

He kept turning the ball over and over in his hands. He pressed the button again. Harder. It was going in, but why wasn't it doing anything? He tried pushing it quickly in succession. Still nothing. Finally, after many failed attempts, Aaron flopped back onto the bed, letting the ball roll out of his hand onto the covers. He let out a grunt of frustration. Was he going _crazy_? _No, of course not!_ But he was still befuddled. _I bet one last try will work._

He hoisted himself up, rubbed his face, and then moved closer to the edge of the bed.

But as he did so, the Pokeball began to roll off the side. He reached for it and missed and the ball fell to the floor with a thud.

Then everything happened at once. First came a _Pop!_ like the satisfying hit of a home-run shot. Aaron peered down in a flash to retrieve the ball, but was thrown back as a bright white light shot just past his face.

Aaron recoiled backwards onto the bed, rubbing his eyes from the flash. When he finally recovered his focus, he found himself face to face with the very thing he was expecting- a Pokemon. But it was unlike any he'd seen before.

His thoughts quickly dashed from surprised to curious to almost disappointment and back again. It was such an odd species! It had no fur, no legs or arms, and what could hardly be called a face. Instead, the Pokemon peered back at him from a roughly spherical, cyan head only a little larger than his own through a single deep, orange eye. Aaron got off his bed to examine the creature further, approaching it as if it were some exotic animal that could lash out at any second, despite how harmless it appeared. The creature seemed to float all on its own and moved backwards when Aaron got up. Both kept silent.

Upon further inspection, Aaron noticed that the rest of the Pokemon's body was similarly colored and appeared rough like the head. It seemed crude, almost incomplete, just like a cylinder attached to a ball for a head-and what looked like three small claws attached at its rear end. The Pokemon rotated its head and watched Aaron as he investigated his gift.

Suddenly, Aaron realized that he must seem stand-offish to the creature. With that, he reached out a hand to touch the creature. At the first touch, the creature moved away slightly, and Aaron felt guilty.

"Oh… I'm sorry little guy," Aaron said to it. "I don't want to hurt you…" He stared into the Pokemon's deep orange eye once more. Maybe the creature sensed what he was trying to say? Or maybe not… nevertheless, Aaron slowly reached out his hand to feel the creature's body once more. This time, the creature didn't move back and a tenderness was shard between the two.

The Pokemon's body was smooth like iron and seemed hard as rock. It was more than a simple cylinder; it had multiple plains of steel-like body joined together seamlessly.

And for the first time, Aaron realized how alive the being was. He had expected the body to be cold, but instead, he could feel a touch of warmth emanating from within the being. He ran his fingers the length of its body and heard… purring? No, it was more like the sound of the fan of a computer… a satisfied computer. And yet clearly, this Pokemon was alive.

Aaron gave a short burst of excited laughter and looked once more into the Pokemon's eye.

"I guess I should've introduced myself!" he said. "My name's Aaron. And… I guess you don't really speak…" Instead of feeling disappointed, however, Aaron was now smiling at the creature. The Pokemon suddenly made a louder whirring sound, expressing a shared excited feeling of meeting its new owner. Finally, Aaron realized he had no idea what this Pokemon's name was.

He searched around the box for a further note, lifting a few of the wrappings to no avail while the Pokemon looked on expectantly. Aaron then made his way over to where he had tossed the instruction manual and found a small note in his dad's handwriting.

 _This little guy's name is "Beldum." He's known as the Iron Ball Pokemon. I'm sure you two will get along great! -Dad_

"Beldum… I like it," Aaron said, looking at the Pokemon once more. Beldum made a whirring sound again and its eye glowed with joy. Aaron ran his hand once more over Beldum's smooth, plated body. He was filled with wonder at the thought that he finally had his very first Pokemon.

And even if it wasn't what he expected, Aaron was grateful to have a new friend. A friend who would certainly stick with him through his journey. At that, Aaron stood up and put Beldum's Pokeball into his pocket. He walked to the door and opened it. The thoughts of his clumsiness from earlier, faded, and renewed sense of adventure was now present.

"Wanna go exploring?" Aaron asked Beldum politely.

Beldum gladly followed him out.


End file.
